Love Like You
by spiritypowers
Summary: Kainora oneshots, scattered over the course of their lives. No matter where they are or what they go through, they know they're in it together. / based on Kainora Shipaversary 2k15 prompts, includes modern AUs
1. Day 1: Happy Vacation

_{Modern AU}_

* * *

The day could not have gone by slower. Kai was constantly looking back to the clock to see how close it was to 2:30pm. Not enough, as each minute seemed like an hour, and every hour seemed like a lifetime. He'd long stopped listening to the teacher when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

The brightest student in the class, Jinora Gyatso, had just gotten his attention, and was tilting her head over at their teacher, who promptly called his name.

Luckily, Jinora Gyatso also happened to be his best friend.

"Kai Fong!"

He whipped his head towards the front of the class, where his teacher was tapping his foot, looking impatiently at him. "Yes, Mr. Raiko?"

"I asked you what the answer to our review question was. About the holiday we all celebrate every summer?"

Kai's mind was drawing to a blank, when Jinora whispered, "Yangchen's Festival," into his ear.

"Yangchen's Festival," Kai repeated confidently.

"Correct," Mr. Raiko said, but he continued frowing. "Mr. Fong, would it hurt to pay attention for the last half hour? Spirits, kids," he said, shaking his head before directing his attention to the rest of the class, "you're going to be starting middle school in a few months. It's different than elementary school."

Kai zoned out again, looking at the clock. He'd heard this speech about a million times already and hadn't paid enough attention to get to the end of a single one of them. Still, he had to wonder, as he glanced over at Jinora, who was listening intently, if things really would be different. Kai would be going to the local public school while Jinora would be attending a small alternative school, which she'd applied for five months ago and (unsurprisingly) had bee accepted just over a month ago.

The entire class almost burst with relief and excitement when the bell rang to indicate that the day was over. Mr. Raiko had barely gotten in a "Happy Summer Vacation!" as the students filed out of the room, bubbling with news of their summer plans.

Picking out a short-haired head with a small bun on the side from the crowd, Kai caught up with Jinora, whose backpack always looked too big for her tiny body. She smiled over at him when she felt his presence.

"You coming home with me?" she asked with a wide grin. One of her teeth was missing (the tooth fairy had been very generous just two weeks ago), but her smile was still the prettiest thing Kai had ever seen. Aside from her eyes, maybe.

"Yup!" he said with an equally delighted him. "Summer fun buddies?"

"Summer fun buddies," she confirmed as they walked out of the building (for the last time, Kai realized). That stupid "middle school will be different" speech still nagged at the back of his head, but he shook it off when they climbed into the Gyatso family car. Jinora's little brother, Meelo, was (thankfully) sound asleep, and her mom hadn't picked up Ikki yet.

"Hey, Kai!" Mrs. Gyatso greeted. "Looking forward to summer vacation?"

Kai beamed at her. "Yep," he said, before they drove off.

* * *

They were eating s'mores and drinking root beer in Jinora's treehouse that night when their former teacher's speech began rattling in his mind again. He stared down his unfinished s'more while Jinora was going off about constellations and how much clearer they would be when they took their yearly trip to the family cabin when she noticed how silent he'd become.

"Kai?" she asked softly. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," he said, "I just keep thinking… Jinora, is everything going to be different?"

"What?" Jinora tilted her head questioningly at him.

"Like Mr. Raiko said. Well, what I payed attention to, anyway. We're going to different schools, and I'll have to experience all of those new things alone. What if…"

"What if one of us makes new friends and the other doesn't? What if we drift and we stop being best friends?" Jinora looked intently at Kai, whose eyes widened. It was like she'd read his mind. "I've worried about that, too. But that's why we said we would visit each other once every week once school starts again, and spend every birthday and holiday together." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it, smiling softly. "Best friends don't stop being best friends that easily, okay? I won't let it."

Kai smiled back at her. "Me neither."

"You know, I could also try to convince my parents to let you come with us on our trip so we could have more time together before school starts…"

"What? Jinora, that's your family's trip," Kai said, his eyes widening. "Besides, they'd have to talk to Mako and Bolin, and-"

"I want you to be a part of it!" Jinora insisted. "We're summer fun buddies."

Kai nodded. "Right."

She held up her bottle of root beer. "To a happy vacation?"

With a short laugh, Kai held his bottle up, clinking it against hers. "To a happy vacation."

As they gulped down their drinks (Kai always chugged his down to finish first), Kai felt the worry melt away, as he listened to her go on about constellations. Whatever the future had to bring, he knew that he could take it with his best friend, one day at a time.


	2. Day 2: Summer Nights

_{Canonverse}_

* * *

As the days grew longer and the skies grew clearer, Jinora had made a ritual of sneaking out every night to look at the stars. It was one of those things that was just _hers_ , that was maybe a little rebellious for someone like her, but she didn't care. It wasn't like she was _trying_ to break the rules, but on those clear summer nights, curfew just happened to come too early for her to really enjoy them. So here she was, having gotten away with her own little secret for two years and counting.

This third year, however, was different. Now, at 12 years old, she finally had someone to share it with. Someone that wouldn't tell, someone that would appreciate this little secret with her. A best friend.

She'd told Kai to meet her at the window outside of her room an hour after curfew, but he was already 15 minutes late. Jinora was beginning to wonder whether he'd make it at all when two hands suddenly clamped down on her shoulders. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she resisted the urge to scream as she whipped around, ready to defend herself, praying to every benevolent spirit she could think of that it wouldn't be her Ikki, Meelo, or her father.

When she saw Kai standing in front of her with that same crooked grin she'd grown so fond of so quickly, she sighed with relief, before slapping his arm. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he said with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "And sorry I'm so late, too. It took forever for Yung to finally stop trying to talk to me and get to sleep."

She chuckled lightly, rolling her eyes at him. "At least you made it. Now come on." They both shook open their gliders and took to the sky, the cool night air refreshing on their admittedly sleepy faces as Jinora led him to a small grassy area on a hill, just a little ways from Air Temple Island.

She laid down in the grass and patted at a spot next to her, beckoning Kai to join her. Beaming at her in the darkness, he laid down next to her, looking up at the sky.

"You can see the stars best out here," she said, pointing to a few constellations. "There's the Ornithorhynchus Anatinus Ursa Minor and Major, next to each other, and Kyoshi's Belt over there, just a little to the left. And up there is Yangchen's Arrow, my personal favorite." She sighed, looking out over the sea of stars, all beaming back at her like long-lost friends of old.

"You sure know a lot about constellations," Kai said admiringly.

Jinora shrugged in her reclined position. "I used to be obsessed with them when I was eight years old. I read every book I could on them; science, mythology, and even modern fantasy."

"When I was little, if I could sleep in an alley that wasn't too well-lit, I'd look up at the stars and imagine that a bunch of fireflies got stuck up there," Kai said. Jinora could hear the smile in his voice and had to smile back; it wasn't often that Kai spoke of his past at all fondly. "Looking at the stars made me feel less alone, I guess."

Jinora reached for Kai's hand, and he gladly accepted it, giving it a small squeeze. "I've read a bunch of science books that say that the stars are just glowing balls of gas millions of miles away," she said, "but somehow…they feel like more. I read in one book that some people think that they're the souls of past monarchs, looking down on us."

Kai turned his head to look at her, her features obscured by darkness. Only her eyes were clear, glowing in the moonlight; he swore he saw more stars in them than in the sky itself. "Do you believe that?" he asked.

Jinora shook her head. "Well, actually, I want to believe something like that. I believe that they are past souls, but not necessarily of monarchs. I think they're friends and family members, watching over the world they once lived in, looking out for the people they love. You see the star closest to the moon?" She pointed at it with her free hand, and smiled wistfully. "I think that's my grand-uncle, Sokka. He was in love with Princess Yue, before she became the moon spirit. I don't think he ever stopped loving her, actually, even though he got married. There's one big star a little to the right of that, which is Gran Gran's favorite. I think that one's my Grandpa Aang."

Kai turned his head to look at her again, and was surprised to find that she was looking at him, too. He was glad the darkness was able to conceal his blushing, and he asked, "Do you think we'll be up there someday, too?"

Her eyes glistened. "Maybe."

"Do you think we'll be next to each other?"

Kai could just barely make out her soft smile in the moonlight. "I hope so." She squeezed his hand, and he smiled as they both looked back up at the stars, gazing back up over their silent guardians.

"Hey, Jin?" he asked after several minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Is it…is it okay if I come along every time you do this?"

There was another moment of silence, and Kai couldn't pinpoint why he was so worried about her saying no when she squeezed his hand again. "I'd like that very much."

They both smiled, gazing at the sky again, silently greeting every glittering soul watching over them. After years of summer nights spent in solitude, both decided that this was the beginning of their favorite tradition, one they'd share together.


	3. Day 3: Theme Song

**A/N: Thanks to words-with-dragons for the unintended inspiration for this; she wrote a songfic to this same song for my 19th birthday nearly a year ago. :) The song I'm using is called "All About Us" by He Is We.**

 _{Modern AU}_

* * *

 _Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance. I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down._

The first time they danced was when they were five years old. It was a lazy summer day in Jinora's backyard, and they were listening to her portable radio when she perked up at the song that started playing, and stood up, taking Kai's hand.

"This is my favorite song!" she beamed, taking his other hand. "Dance with me!"

"What?" Kai asked, but she only began spinning them around in reply, giggling madly as they picked up the pace. Whether it was because of how dizzy he was or because of how nice her laughter sounded, Kai found himself laughing, too, and he nearly fell over when Jinora pulled him back into balance, steadying him. They were still giggling when they flopped back down onto the grass.

"I'm gonna dance to that song when I get married someday," Jinora sighed dreamily, and Kai made a face.

"Gross," Kai said, and Jinora stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're silly, but I'm inviting you to my wedding anyway," she said, grinning. "You just have to help me practice my dancing till I dance with my husband. Because we're best friends. Deal?"

Kai's smile returned; even if Jinora could be mushy sometimes, she was still his best friend, and he'd be there for her no matter what. "Deal."

 _Would you let me lead? You can step on my feet._

The second time they danced was when they were in the third grade, and their entire class was being forced to learn how to square dance for gym class. Kai had immediately glommed onto Jinora when they were all asked to pick their partners, because if he had to dance with a girl, at least it would be with his best friend, who had minimal cooties.

Jinora had been talking about square dancing for weeks, and how excited she was about it, and Kai didn't quite understand what the big deal was, but as he walked through the steps of the dance with her, swinging her around every time they do-si-doed, he caught her laughter and decided that maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

The waltz their gym teacher made them do was his least favorite, however (what did waltzing have to do with square dancing? Kai would never know), and it was only Jinora who could make it interesting.

"Just make a box with your feet," she said, guiding him. He remembered hearing their teacher say that it was the boy who was supposed to take the lead, but figured Jinora could help him learn how later as their feet moved in sync on the shiny floor.

He made a misstep and stepped on her foot, immediately backing away when she yelped in pain. "I'm so sorry Jinora!" he exclaimed as she shook out her left foot. Her black patent shoes now had a dull scratch where his sneaker had landed on it.

"It's okay," Jinora said kindly, offering him her hand again. "You didn't mean it."

Kai took it gratefully, resting his hand loosely on her back as she guided him through the waltz again, careful to avoid stepping on her feet again.

As boring as dancing was, at the very least, he had both a fun and patient dance partner.

 _Suddenly, I'm feeling brave. Don't know what's got into me, why I feel this way._

The third time they danced, she was 13 and he had just turned 14, and he hadn't expected to find her in their treehouse that evening. He'd planned on waiting for her to get back from the middle school social that night, and had brought her favorite candy and everything. He wasn't sure why the idea of her going as someone's _date_ bothered him so much, but he knew he wasn't gonna let a shmuck like Bori Ko be the only guy to show her a good night.

It was, of course, purely out of friendship. She was his best friend, and it was normal to feel a little protective of her. Right?

Whatever dislike he'd had for Bori turned to straight up _hatred_ when he found Jinora curled up in a corner of their treehouse, crying softly.

"Jin?" He approached her cautiously, crouching down next to her. "Hey, Jin, what happened?"

"He stood me up."

"What?" Kai was at a loss when Jinora started crying again, but tried to reach out and give her shoulder what he hoped was a comforting squeeze. "Jin, please talk to me."

"He called half an hour before the social," she said, her voice thick with tears. "He said he only asked me because Mahina Kalawa said no to him and I was the second best. Her date got sick last minute so he took her." Jinora looked up at him through tears. "I know it shouldn't be a big deal, but…for once, it felt like a boy was seeing me as more than the girl that could tutor him in English. I guess I felt like…something, but I guess I was just back up to Mahina. Figures."

"He's an idiot," Kai said instantly.

Jinora wiped her face. "Kai, you don't have to-"

"No, I mean it. He's an idiot and a jerk and he has no idea how lucky he was to have you accept his offer, and I wish I could just punch him in his stupid jerk face-" Kai looked back at Jinora, who'd grown silent. A little awkwardly, he scooted up next to her, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I wanted you to have fun tonight, even if I didn't want to go. Seriously, if Bori Ko couldn't see how great you are, then he's an idiot at it's his loss. Not that I have to tell you that. You've proofread his papers."

She couldn't help but laugh as she rested her head against his shoulder. "His grammar is even worse than yours, amazingly."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Kai said, nudging her lightly with his side.

"Exactly what it's supposed to mean," Jinora shot back, and they both laughed. "Thanks, Kai. For everything. I'm still just sad I didn't get to slow dance. I've always wanted to slow dance with someone."

A little hesitance crept into his chest as an idea popped up, but he decided to act anyway, slowly getting up and taking her hand. He guided her out of the treehouse and onto the grass of her family's backyard. Her yellow floral dress wafted gently in the soft night breeze, and the way her hair curled up into her face just so made him wonder how any guy, let alone Bori freaking Ko, could ever stand up someone as amazing and beautiful as Jinora.

"Give me your phone."

Jinora tilted her head at him. "What?"

"Give me your phone," he repeated, and once she relinquished it, he tapped in her password, then scrolled through her music library, searching for one song in particular. When he found it, he tapped it, then cranked up the volume of the phone's tiny speakers, before setting the phone on one of the steps of the treehouse. As a familiar tune drifted through the air, Kai held out his hand. "Care for a dance, Miss Gyatso?"

Jinora looked up at him with shining eyes, and Kai's heart pounded in his ears as she gingerly accepted his hand. He guided them to his shoulders, and he rested his hands loosely on her waist, swaying leisurely to the music.

"Kai…thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime, Jin," he said, trying not to gulp too loudly as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. This was the most he'd ever touched his best friend, and it was almost scary how much he liked it.

"This is my favorite song," she observed in a light voice. "The one I want to dance to at my wedding."

"I did promise I'd help you practice to it," Kai said, feebly chuckling. "And I promise whoever you marry will have enough sense to realize just how lucky he is to have you."

"Thank you. Again," Jinora said. "You're the best friend I'll ever have."

"Anytime," he repeated.

They were swaying together under the stars long after the song had ended.

 _Can we dance real slow? Can I hold you? Can I hold you close?_

The fourth time they danced was at their senior prom, and as two of the only single people in their class, they'd both agreed to go together, as "frienddates". Jinora always said she didn't have the time for a boyfriend, which everyone supposed was partially true when she was doing all honors classes, working, and doing volunteer work, and Kai simply said he wasn't interested in a relationship, to the disappointment of many of the girls in their grade who had realized just how handsome he'd grown over the years, with his crooked smile and messy undercut. But the one constant in their lives was each other, so it was only appropriate that they took each other to their senior prom. Kai had even gotten Bolin to help him bake five chocolate cakes for the promposal, which Jinora had gratefully accepted, even after the both of them had eaten too much chocolate cake to care to look at any ever again.

It was hard, Kai admitted to himself, to bring his own crush to prom when he couldn't even bring himself to ask her out on a proper date, but Jinora was smart and kind and so beautiful and she had the entire world at her fingertips. She had no time for boys, especially not ones like him. But it wasn't so bad. She was his best friend, and if he could keep a crush secret for five years, another night couldn't hurt.

At least, that was what he thought before he saw her in the light green dress she'd picked out, and he could hardly take his eyes off her as he slipped the light green corsage onto her wrist with trembling hands. His heart was caught in his throat for the entire limo ride, and he could barely squeak out any answers to her questions. He both loved and hated how she made him feel like a gawky prepubescent boy despite having known him for almost his entire life, and his light apple green tie felt too tight around his neck as they entered the ballroom with her on his arm.

He'd been able to ignore the dryness in his throat as he drowned his feelings in strawberry punch and danced goofily with her to all their favorite songs, but now that she was in his arms, trying to talk to him through a slow dance, he found that his thoughts were cloudy once again, the only clear thing in his universe her deep brown eyes.

Without thinking, he pulled her closer, and leaned in to kiss her. He'd been too preoccupied with the way she shaped her lips over and over against his and the kiwi flavor of her lipgloss to realize just what he was doing – she was his _friend_ and he was _ruining_ it because he couldn't keep his stupid self together – and immediately pulled away.

"Jin, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to assume- Obviously I really like you, but I don't expect you to-"

"Shh," she said softly, bringing a finger to his lips. She stopped their swaying and removed her finger to cup his face, looking up at him with glistening eyes, before leaning in and resuming the kiss, deepening it as he pressed her closer to him.

It didn't matter that they were in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by a bunch of other sweaty teenagers, it didn't matter that their display was very public as she tangled her hands in his hair and as his mouth moved almost greedily against hers, all that mattered was that he was _here_ , with _her_ , and she felt the same and she was eagerly kissing him back and he suddenly had everything he'd been secretly wishing for.

"Finally," he breathed against her lips, and she giggled softly before kissing him one more time.

 _'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love. Spolight's shining, it's all about us._

"And now I'm happy to announce the first dance of the bride and groom," Bolin said into the microphone, cutting through the chatter of cheerful guests.

They'd lost track of how many times they'd danced between their first kiss and this moment, but now, after five years of dating, three of which had been long-distance and so so hard, everything seemed to come together as Kai squeezed Jinora's hand before pulling her onto the dance floor, guiding her other hand to his shoulder before he placed his on her waist, bringing her close to him.

"Still remember how to do this?" she asked, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

"I just so happened to have a great waltzing instructor in the third grade," Kai replied, and she laughed softly as the music started. It was the same song she'd loved all those years, the soft, romantic melody floating from the speakers.

Jinora looked into Kai's – her _husband's_ – face as they danced to the beat (4/4, so it wasn't exactly real waltzing, but she would tease Kai about that later) and thought about them. She thought about the crush she'd developed when she was 11, the one that she could never truly admit to herself till he kissed her at prom, the late nights Skyping, the holidays spent making hot cocoa and getting sick on gingerbread cookies, and, most of all, the time she'd made him promise to help her practice for her first wedding dance.

She'd been practicing with her husband all along.

Struck by the beauty of the revelation, she smiled, closing the small gap between them as she kissed him softly, still swaying in time to the music.

She pulled away with tears in her eyes, almost laughing at the wide, flushed grin on his face. "Thanks for practicing this dance with me for all these years."

"Anytime, Jin," he whispered. "Besides, this is only the beginning, right?"

She nodded, giggling as he twirled her around, before bringing her back into his arms. "Right."

Nothing, and everything, had changed. They'd been dancing together since they were four years old, laying out under the sun after daycare. And as far as either of them were concerned, they would be dancing together for the rest of their lives.


End file.
